Westlake Village native Veronika Weiss, 19, and Chino Hills native Katherine “Katy” Cooper, 22, were standing near their sorority house when Elliot Rodger began knocking on the door. When he couldn’t get inside, he shot the victims.

Sheriff Bill Brown has defended the officers’ actions, but the case highlights the challenges that police face in assessing the mental health of adults, particularly those with no history of violent breakdowns, institutionalizations or serious crimes.

In YouTube videos and a long written manifesto, Elliot Rodger aired his contempt for everyone from his roommates to the whole human race, reserving special hate for two groups: the women he says kept him a virgin for all of his 22 years, and the men they chose instead.

A local nurse is praying for a Christmas miracle. Linda West has been asked by a Sandy Hook Elementary crisis counselor to prepare hundreds of plush toys for the children affected by the shooting massacre in Connecticut, and she needs help.